Incinerator



Aug. 23, 1955 F. R. ONEIL ,8

INCINERATOR Filed Feb. 5, 1954 I? Z 5/49 36 26 I0 o E /3 o o 2g 0 o o E.2. L3

FRANK R OWHL,

JNVENTOR.

AGE/V7.-

United States Patent INCINERATOR Frank R. ONeil, Monrovia, Califi,assign 0r of fifty per cent to Robert J. OHare, Santa Monica, Cahf.

Application February 3, 1954, Serial No. 407,926

Claims. (Cl. 11018) The present invention relates generally to anincinerator and relates more specifically to a new type of mcmeratorincorporating means for increasing the efiiciency of combustion therein.

For the past several years, an increasingly serious problem has arisenin certain specific areas relative to the need to reduce the amount ofsmoke and haze in the atmosphere. severe eye smarting, physical sicknessand often nausea, the collection of such particles of smoke and otherpolutants in the atmosphere and the concentration thereof 2,715,88l C6Patented Aug. 23, 1955 the ash receiver for the present incinerator.

Referring to the drawing by reference characters, the incineratormechanism of the present invention is shown as indicated generally at10.

As shown, the incinerator includes a substantially I square, verticallyelongated fire pot 11 that is enclosed within a plurality of sidewalls12. The walls 12 may be of any suitable material such as metal, ceramictile, brick or the like without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention. The upper end of the incinerator is inwardlytapered as at 13 to form a flue 14 to conduct Such smoke and hazefrequently causes being due partially to abnormal temperature andweather conditions existing in parts of the world. Many attempts havebeen made to eliminate such particles of smoke, haze and polutants fromthe atmosphere by reducing the disposition of such polutants at theirsource. It has been reliably determined that the source of thesepolutants is in connection with major industry, from automobiles andother vehicles and from various types of incinerators and other meansfor burning combustible waste.

With an ever increasing population, and with the necessity for homeowners to dispose of combustible waste materials, the use of bothcommercial and home type incinerators has grown in popularity. However,it has been found that, in a great number of cases, incompletecombustion of combustible waste material causes considerable smolderingin incinerators, thus creating much the products of combustion from thefire pot. These products of combustion are exhausted through a suitablestack 15 having a customary cover 16 supported on suitable webs 17.

The lower end of the fire pot is enclosed by a screen A 18 that may besupported on suitable structural angle smoke and small particles to addto the polutants in the 2 atmosphere. It is well known that efiicientburning of combustible waste material or other products is moreetficiently handled when sufiicient air and oxygen is available to causecomplete oxidation of the waste material.

The present invention proposes a specific type of incinerator structurethat may be used for either home or industrial use in which means areprovided to efficiently burn waste material or the like.

It is accordingly one object of the present invention to provide anincinerator having features of novelty to permit complete and efiicientcombustion of waste material or the like in order to overcome thebeforementioned difiiculties and disadvantages of prior devices.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a specificincinerator structure wherein self-contained and novel means areprovided to induce a flow of air into a fire pot of the incinerator,thereby to increase the eflFective combustion therein.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novelincinerator structure incorporating a fan for delivering air to a firepot thereof, said fan being driven by a turbine operatively connectedthereto, the turbine being disposed in such a manner relative to thefire pot to be driven by heated gases issued therefrom.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide anincinerator having novel means for increasing the efiective combustiontherein wherein the operating portions thereof are simple inconstruction, relatively inexpensive in manufacture and efiicient inoperation.

members 19 which extend about the base of the fire pot and provide astiffening means therefor. The lower end of the portion 12 whichsurrounds the fire pot 11 is supported on a plurality of legs 19', therebeing angular spacing members 20 disposed intermediate the legs 19 forreception of an ash receiver 21 that is in the form of a drawer, havinga handle 22, so that it may be removed to clean ashes therefrom.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the ash receiver 21 is provided with acentrally disposed outwardly extending sleeve in the form of an invertedcone 23 so that air may be admitted to the fire pot as shown by thedirection of the arrows 24.

As shown primarily in Fig. 1, the receiver is provided with an elongatedvertically extending tube 25 that is positioned axially within thecenter of the incinerator. This tube is reduced in diameter as by a cone26 on the upper end thereof and provided with a plurality of openings orperforations 27 that are spaced at intervals throughout the length ofthe tube. The lower end of the tube 25 is secured as by welding or thelike to the bottom screen 18, the upper end being secured as by weldingor the like to an upper screen 28 that extends across the flue 14 withinthe portion defined by the inwardly directed sides 13. Under normaloperating conditions, air is drawn in through the opening 23 and the ashreceiver 21 through the interior of tube 25 and out through theperforations 27 into the interior of the fire pot 11. This action iseffected by the rising heat of combustion from the fire pot 11. In orderto increase the flow of air through the sleeve 23 and tube 25, togetherwith the openings 27, an elongated shaft 29 is positioned axially withinthe tube 25 and supported for rotation at its upper end as by suitablebearings 30, which are received in webs 31, the webs 31 extendingoutwardly and being secured to the frame structure of the incinerator.The lower end of the shaft 29 is drilled in a suitable bearing 32. Asshown, the shaft 29 extends substantially above the upper screen 28 andhas a turbine wheel 33 secured as by any suitable means to the shaft 29at a point immediately upwardly adjacent the screen 28. The lower end ofthe shaft 29 is fitted with a fan 34 at a point adjacent the bearing 32and within the lower end of the tube 25. The blades of the turbine 33extend outwardly beyond the periphery of the tube 25 to occupysubstantially the entire cross-sectional area of the flue 14 adjacentthe turbine 33 and serve to rotate the shaft 29 and fan 34 when theheated products of combustion impinge thereupon. It maybe seen that theaction is thus to force additional air into the tube 25 and out throughthe openings or perforations 27, thereby to add additional oxygen to thefire pot 11 and increase the effective combustion therein.

In order to prevent the air being forced through the tube 25 by the fan34 from being merely exhausted from the upper .end of the tube 25 and toinsure the passage of a major portion'of this air outwardly into thefire pot 11, the reduced diameter portion 26 of the tube 25 serves tocreate a back pressure within the tube 25, thereby to force air outthrough the openings 27 along substantially the entire length of thefire pot 11.

It may thus be seen that when waste material is inserted within theincinerator through a suitable door or opening 35, which islhingedlysecured to the upper portion of the incinerator as at 36,this materialmay gather as indicated at 37 and rest against the screen 18. As soon ascombustion is initiated as by any well known means, the issuance of hotexhaust gases and products of combustion over the turbine wheel 33 willcause rotation of the fan 34 to force additional air into the fire pot11 and also through the combustible material as indicated by the arrows38, thereby to cause complete combustion of the Waste material andreduce the amount of smoke that would normally issue from theincinerator inthe absence of such forced air feeding thereto.

It may be seen that the turbine wheel 33 is substantially larger indiameter than the fan 34 and that the fan 34 is positioned in the lowerend of the tube 25. By so positioning thefan 34 within the tube 25 andthus shrouding the fan, best use is made of the fan blading in drawingthe air inwardly through the conical sleeve 23 in the ash receiver 21and through the tube 25.

Having thus described the invention and the present embodiment thereof,it is desired to emphasize the fact that many modifications may beresorted to in a manner limited only by a just interpretation of thefollowing claims.

I claim:

1. An incinerator'comprising: a fire pot; a perforated tube extendingvertically through said fire pot, the upper and lower ends of said tubebeing open; a flue connected to the upper end of said fire pot, saidupper end of said tube being disposed in said flue; means providingcommunication between the lower end "of said tube and atmosphere; anelongated shaft disposed axially within said tube and extending beyondthe upper end of said tube; bearings positioned for rotatably supportingsaid shaft; a turbine wheel mounted on the upper end of said tube isprovided with a reduced diameter upper end whereby to cause a backpressure within said tube and in turn cause said forced air to bedelivered to said fire pot.

3. An incinerator according to claim 1 wherein said fan is mountedwithin a lower end of said tube and shrouded by said tube.

4. An incinerator according to claim 2 wherein said turbine wheel issubstantially larger in diameter than said fan wheel and extendssubstantially across the entire cross-sectional area of said flue.

5. An incinerator comprising, in combination: 3. rectangular fire pot; aperforated tube extending vertically through said fire pot, said tubebeing provided with a reduced diameter upper end, the upper and lowerends of said tube being open, said upper end being of a smaller diameterthan said lower end; a flue connected to the upper end of said fire pot,said upper end of said tube being disposed in said flue; an elongatedshaft disposed axially within said tube and extending beyond the upperend of said tube; bearings positioned for rotatably supporting saidshaft within said tube; a bladed turbine Wheel secured to the upper endof said shaft, positioned in said flue and adapted to be rotated bygases passing through said flue; a bladed fan secured to the lower endof said shaft, said fan being adapted to force air upwardly through saidtube and outwardly through said perforations in said tube and into saidfire pot thereby to facilitate combustion therein, said fan beingsmaller in diameter than said turbine wheel and shrouded by a lower endof said tube; a screen forming a bottom for said fire pot, a removableash receiver positioned below said screen; and a sleeve defining anopening in said ash receiver for admitting air to said tube, said sleevehaving a conical configuration, the outer end of which communicateswithatmosphere.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS906,439 Lewis Dec. 8, 1908 1,110,890 Cappelen Sept. 15, 1914 1,596,204Martin Aug. 17, 1926 1,947,836 Fahlstrom Feb. 20, 1934 2,427,480'Waterman Sept. 16, 1947 2,666,403- Polk Jan. 19, 1954

